CAIRO - 2 April 2026: Egypt's Vertebrate Paleontology Center, Mansoura University is one of the most prominent scientific institutions in Egypt and the Middle East.
In just a few years, it has achieved global milestones that have redrawn the map of ancient life in Africa, particularly in the Western Desert region.
The center's establishment
The Vertebrate Paleontology Center at the Faculty of Science was established as the first specialized center of its kind in the Middle East. It focuses on studying vertebrate fossils, such as dinosaurs, mammals, reptiles, fish, and birds, with the aim of understanding the evolutionary history of life in the region.
The center is led by an Egyptian research team headed by Professor Hesham Sallam, who has succeeded in placing Egypt on the map of global scientific discoveries in the field of paleontology.
Key scientific discoveries
1- Discovery of the Dinosaur “Mansourasaurus”
The discovery of Mansourasaurus is considered one of the center's most important achievements. This dinosaur lived approximately 80 million years ago and was found in the Western Desert.
This discovery is of great importance because it contributed to understanding the relationship between dinosaurs in Africa and Europe and confirmed the existence of rich biodiversity in Egypt during the Cretaceous period.
2- Discovery of the “Valley Crocodile”
The center succeeded in discovering a new species of ancient crocodiles, named “Wadisoxus,” which lived about 80 million years ago. This discovery helped in understanding the evolution of ancient crocodiles and their relationship to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
3- Discovery of Ancient Predatory Mammals
The team discovered a new genus of predatory mammals that lived in Egypt about 30 million years ago, in addition to re-classifying ancient species discovered more than a century ago. This reflects the development of Egyptian scientific research.
4- Discovery of Ancient Ape Fossils
The center contributed to the discovery of the fossils of apes that lived millions of years ago in the Western Desert. This changed the prevailing idea that the origin of great apes was limited to East Africa and proved that North Africa was an important habitat for them.
The Importance of Discoveries in the Western Desert
Most of the center's discoveries have focused on the Egyptian Western Desert, which proved to have been a rich environment in ancient times, where:
- It contained forests, rivers, and diverse life.
- It was home to dinosaurs, mammals, and giant reptiles.
- It represents an important natural record of the evolution of life on Earth.
- These discoveries have contributed to rewriting the history of living organisms in Africa and highlighting Egypt's scientific role globally.
International Leadership and Achievements:
The center has achieved a significant scientific breakthrough, publishing research in prestigious international scientific journals and receiving international awards.
It has become a destination for researchers from around the world.
The center is also considered a successful model of Egyptian scientific research capable of competing globally.
Thus, the Vertebrate Paleontology Center at Mansoura University has succeeded in transforming the Western Desert into an open scientific treasure trove, revealing secrets of millions of years of Earth's history through discoveries such as: Mansourasaurus and the Valley Crocodile, among others, confirming that Egypt is not only the cradle of civilizations but also comes among the most important countries for the study of ancient life in the world.
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